Facebook has agreed to tighten consent rules on privacy after the Federal Trade Commission said the company ‘deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public’.

The case began in 2009 after it was found Facebook had changed privacy settings without warning, meaning some users’ information was made public without them realising.

In a ruling which also covers the UK, the FTC said Facebook is now ‘required to obtain consumers’ affirmative express consent before enacting changes that override their privacy preferences’.

As well as making all major changes in sharing of users’ information opt-in, Facebook will also have to close access to deleted accounts in 30 days or less.

‘Facebook is obligated to keep the promises about privacy that it makes to its hundreds of millions of users,’ said Jon Leibowitz, the FTC chairman.

‘Facebook’s innovation does not have to come at the expense of consumer privacy. The FTC action will ensure it will not.’

Although Zuckerberg conceded his company had made errors, he claimed Facebook had a good general record on privacy.

‘Overall, I think we have a good history of providing transparency and control over who can see your information,’ he wrote in a blog post.